sententious

American  

[sen-ten-shuhs] / sɛnˈtɛn ʃəs /

adjective

1. abounding in pithy aphorisms or maxims.

   a sententious book.

2. given to excessive moralizing; self-righteous.

   Synonyms:

   moralistic, sanctimonious, didactic, preachy

3. given to or using pithy sayings or maxims.

   a sententious poet.

4. of the nature of a maxim; pithy.

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sententious British  

/ sɛnˈtɛnʃəs /

adjective

1. characterized by or full of aphorisms, terse pithy sayings, or axioms

2. constantly using aphorisms, etc

3. tending to indulge in pompous moralizing

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Other Word Forms

• nonsententious
  adjective
• nonsententiousness
  noun
• sententiosity
  noun
• sententiously
  adverb
• sententiousness
  noun
• unsententious
  adjective
• unsententiousness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of sententious

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin sententiōsus “meaningful, pithy”; see sentence, -ous

Explanation

If you speak in sententious phrases, your listeners are probably falling asleep, as your speech is pompous and pretentious, and full of moralistic babble. When sententious first appeared in English — back in the late Middle Ages — it meant "full of wisdom," but now it usually has a negative sense, meaning heavy handed and self-important. The sententious blowhard makes people laugh, and you can probably think of at least three cartoon characters who fit the bill — often a politician or minister who drones on and on, oblivious to the fact that his audience is snickering or trying to sneak out.

Example Sentences

Yet “sandblasted” is not a satire of Oprah or Oprah-ism; especially as played by the former newscaster and talk show host Rolonda Watts, Adah is at least as warm as she is sententious.

From New York Times • Feb. 27, 2022

There’s a similar try-hard-ness about “The Power of Prayer,” another song about the spiritual significance of music that I find more sententious than moving.

From Slate • Oct. 22, 2020

Instead, the carefully calibrated restraint that arises from McQueen’s earnest and sententious direction seals out the psychological implications of the stifled melodrama.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 16, 2018

Rather than highlighting the perversity of slavery, his sententious prose strains to upstage it.

From Washington Post • May 14, 2018

To utter apothegms, or short and sententious sayings.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah